


no land

by artfilia (ruffysan), ruffysan



Series: we're time flyers [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, Retelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 16:33:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15343923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruffysan/pseuds/artfilia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruffysan/pseuds/ruffysan
Summary: The dark roots of North Blue's classic fairy tale.





	no land

The cell door clanged open, waking former explorer Montblanc Noland from his sleep. The stench of sweat, dried blood, and possibly rotting skin under unchanged bandages filled his lungs. His eyes looked up at the narrow window of his cell. His heart slowly warmed to the sun's rays—at the lacking glimmer and life of its hue, a dull reminder of a grander value of yellow. This triggered his anxiety. It had  brought to him an ache; to which his gunshot wound responded uninvitingly.

As they moved him out of his cell—without even giving him a proper meal—down the tower and to the platform, he noticed first, of all things: the rush of air when the wind whispered. The sense of deafening worry clung onto him. His wrists bound behind him. Two blades were drawn, crossed, grazing ever so slightly the skin of his neck as he fell to his knees.

To assist the King of Lvneel on this judgement day was the High Priest. They called out a witness for a statement. Now, Montblanc Noland finally raised his head up, the view tucking him underneath the blanket of a roar—a roar that paralleled that of the wild, wild sea...

_Like that honest night his crew found refuge at the island of Jaya._

Hundreds of pairs of eyes looked back at Noland. His heart sank as he gazed at the sea of their faces: blaming, accusing, disgusted, and unforgiving.

**Hope.**

 

It was the word that roared back then. It roared but it soothed. It called and it calmed. It provided light in the dark of night. It was comfort. Today, as much as Noland wanted hope to roar and lure his senses to the light, the other word overcomes it, eating up the possibility of any light after this.

 

**Liar.**

  
If only the word hung in the air, suspended and left just there to echo in his head, it would have been better. But it didn't. The word reverberated. A curse, it was, forever is. And it broke his heart that in the sea of those judging faces, were his crew: fighting, protesting, defending him, telling them—Telling them the truth.

Noland was given a chance; ten seconds—

The punishment will be lifted if he confess that everything he said about the island of Jaya—of the city of gold, of the ancient civilization housed there, the friends he made (are they well, where were they?), the differences they settled—were "make-believe."

_Nine_ _._

  
Because of his "claims," deaths of hundreds of men, on their second quest to Jaya—

Because of his "lies"—his "fantasies" of a city made entirely of gold—

_Eight._

  
His crew, putting their lives on the line to defend him—

_Seven._

  
Swords, set to his neck, any moment— depending on his answer—

_Six._

 

  
And then he found it—The answer—

 

_Five._

 

There was relief and hope again as his face broke into a smile. His eyes were wide, and he started to say—

**Author's Note:**

> Originally an entry for the Fanfic Bootcamp on Wattpad with the prompt:
> 
> _Write a pure flash fiction (500 words) about a canon character experiencing a life or death situation and end it with a cliffhanger!_


End file.
